Small but MIGHTY

Janette Sykes finds that Rutland, England's smallest county, punches well above its weight, with wonderful birds, gorgeous gardens and mouthwatering treats

Have a look at this," the bird expert said, beckoning to me with commendable understatement. "Not many people H see it live, so you're extremely lucky.

So I was - borrowing his binoculars, I could see a splendid adult male osprey sitting in a tree, with a huge trout thrashing about in his talons.

"He's waiting for it to die," the expert added, while I watched nature taking its course. It was so mesmerising, I found it hard to step back and let someone else view a scene that could have been vintage David Attenborough footage.

But that wasn't the only thing I learned about ospreys during our visit to Rutland Water Nature Reserve, a 10-minute stroll from our campsite, The Paddock. This magnificent species was first introduced there from 1996 onwards, with chicks from Scotland, and since 2001, more than 200 young ospreys have fledged.

Adults tend to pair for life, and one avian couple has successfully raised 20 chicks together since 2013. I was saddened to discover that this year, they had hatched four, but only three fledged, as one had been killed in the nest by a dying pike, deposited as food by the overenthusiastic male.

The chicks hatched in spring, and we visited in August, but there was no sign of them. Our expert explained that they had probably already migrated more than 3000 miles to West Africa, and the adults would follow in the autumn.

"But why do the chicks leave first?" I asked. He smiled and said that when the chicks can fly, the parents stop feeding them, to encourage them to find their own food - more nature in the raw.

The Nature Reserve is a great place to spend a morning, taking a leisurely stroll and spotting birdlife ranging from bitterns and buzzards to sandpipers and shelducks.